Short Story Elements

Fictional

Invented by imagination

Narrative

Something that is narrated.

Prose

Any written work that is not poetry.

Plot Diagram

A graph that maps the events in a story.

Exposition

The introduction or beginning of a story that reveals important background information.

Inciting Incident

The event that sets the main character or characters busy and leads on to most of the story.

Rising Action

The section of the story that leads toward the climax.

Climax

The highest point of tension in a story.

Falling Action

The section of the story that follows after the climax.

Resolution

The end and conclusion of the story.

Setting

The time, place, and the vibes of the story.

Conflict

The moment where the protagonist wants something, but someone or something is standing in their way.

Person vs Self

When the character is conflicted with their own feelings.

Person vs Person

When the character is conflicted by another character or multiple characters.

Person vs Nature

When the character is conflicted by the force of the environment.

Person vs Society

When the character has a strong belief against the majority of the community in the story.

Protagonist

The leading character or one of the major characters in a story.

Antagonist

The character in a story that is presented as the main enemy and rival of the protagonist.

Narrative Perspective

The point of view that a story is told from.

First Person

The narrator tells the story in their own personal point of view.

Second Person

The narrator is addressing the story in the point of view where it belongs to the reader.

Limited Third Person

When the narrator tells the story limiting the readers to the one character’s thoughts or perspective.

Omniscient Third Person

When the narrator tells the story with full acces to the feelings and thoughts of all characters.

Foreshadowing

A clue or a hint of what future events are going to happen.

Theme

The main topic or message of a story.

Symbolism

An image with a meaning behind it.

Situational Irony

When the situation in the story is unexpected.

Verbal Irony

When the narrator or character says something when they actually mean the opposite.

Dramatic Irony

When the narrator and reader knows something that the characters in the story do not.

Characterization

The description of a character in a story, movie, or novel.

Direct Characterization

When the narrator describes a character in a straightforward manner.

Indirect Characterization

When the actions or thoughts of a character help describe a character.

Dynamic Character

When a character changes throughout the story.

Static Character

When a character does not change throughout the story.

S.T.E.A.L Method

A method that helps the reader know what is the description of a character without the narrator directly telling the description of a character.

Round Character

A character in a story that has fully developed feelings and thoughts that is told in the story.

Flat Character

A character that we do not know much about their feelings and thoughts.

Stock Characters

A stereotypical character. Examples are, dumb blonde, strict mother, chill friend, etc…

Cliffhanger

When we are cut off information of what happens in the story when we feel high amounts of tension (climax.)

Suspense

The feeling of excitement or thrill when reading a story.

Imagery

When the reader can visually describe what a character looks like.